There is lots of great news to share, but first of all, the biggie: FIXED IS DONE!

Thanks to your moral and financial support and the critical time provided to me through my Arizona State University filmmaking residency this spring, we, all together, were able to birth this film into being. Seven years in the making! In infinite large and small ways, you have all helped make this film a reality.

“‘Fixed’ combines some of the most challenging questions facing the disability rights movement with the cutting-edge science of human enhancement. The result is eye-opening and raises provocative questions our civilization struggles to answer. Yet ‘Fixed’ doesn’t fail to fascinate, and communicates on so many levels. Everyone should see this film!“

– Marilyn Golden, Senior Policy Analyst, DREDF

“‘Fixed’ presents an incisive, balanced, and mind-bending look at the opportunities and challenges the technology revolution has wrought for the future of human culture and the meaning of being human... Beautifully edited with multiple dance sequences that transcend preconceived notions of disability and normalcy, ‘Fixed’ poses the question, ‘What sort of world do we want to live in?‘” — Mary Lou Breslin, Senior Policy Advisor, DREDF

“Provocative… moving… important…” “I cannot wait to show the film to my college students!” – Tarrytown conference attendees after watching a rough cut of Fixed

“Fascinating, humane, and provocative reframing of conceptions of “normal” bodies and “disability.” – Gina Maranto, Director of Ecosystem and Science Policy, University of Miami

Thanks to your support and encouragement we are very close to having a final edit of Fixed! We would not have gotten this far without you. Thank you for believing in this project.

As a first-time director of a project this size, I have been learning lots of lessons and, frankly, making lots of mistakes along the way. The biggest lesson learned so far is that you can’t always predict the twists and turns a film will take or how long it will take to complete! I want to apologize for my earlier overly optimistic predictions that we would have the film “in the can” and in your hands much earlier than this.

One of the most exciting results of the Kickstarter campaign has been getting to know a number of new people around the country doing related research in the fields of disability and/or technology. We met with and interviewed many of these individuals, such as Hugh Herr at the MIT Media Lab and Silvia Yee with DREDF, over the last year and, as a result, have effectively doubled the film both in scope and length. We were originally thinking we had a thirty minute film and now are looking at a TV hour (although the exact length may change in the final stages of editing!).

We are determined to finish the editing this winter. Once we hit picture lock, there will be a few more steps which may take another few months: color correction, sound mixing, captioning, finishing the special features for the DVD, DVD authoring and duplication, etc. I will send out an update when we have the DVD and remaining rewards in hand and know exactly when we will be sending it your way. We will also be asking for any changes to your mailing addresses then as well.

In the meanwhile, please visit the Fixed website for a few highlights from 2012, including:

Please catch the latest Fixed news over at www.fixedthemovie.com/news! And rest assured, we will not stop until we complete the film, finish the curriculum and send you all the rewards you have signed up for! I cannot thank you enough for your patience and support. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach me at info@fixedthemovie.com.

It has certainly been an exciting fall for the world and for Fixed. After the exhilarating success of our Kickstarter campaign, we set to work on the next stages of the film. We interviewed Milton Reynolds of Facing History and Ourselves about the history of the U.S. eugenic movement, and Sujatha Jesudason with Generations Ahead
about prenatal screening technologies, sex selection and disability
deselection, and filmed performance artist, writer and English and
Disability Studies scholar Dominika Bednarska about how ableism
is reproduced in society. We also filmed a classroom debating the
social value of prenatal screening technologies at the Lick-Wilmerding
High School in San Francisco; at the Abilities Expo in San Jose; and
most recently with Fernanda Castelo, a test pilot for Ekso Bionics' new exoskeleton. Fernanda even got us out on the water a few weeks ago to film with the Bay Area Association for Disabled Sailors (see photos). Quite a blast!

Crew news: Two terrific new production assistants came on board for the fall. Karla Claudio Betancourt and Jackie Grieff
have contributed their skills and enthusiasm to the project in a
variety of ways from assisting with the last production shoots,
designing the new Fixed t-shirt, poster, and button, to transcribing hours of new footage. Many thanks to you both for your hard work!

I also want to welcome back editor-extraordinaire Josh Peterson who edited the Fixed
trailer last year and will now be helping me bring the rough cut and
all of this great new footage together to craft the final film. Josh has
been cutting documentaries for almost twenty years. He was nominated
for a national Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Editing in 2009 for
his work on Soldiers of Conscience. He also edited The Rape of Europa,
which was nominated for an Emmy for Best Historical Programming and
short-listed for a Best Documentary Academy Award. I'm very honored to
work with Josh again. Be sure to check out his latest film, Blood Makes the Green Grass Grow, just released this fall.

Next steps: Fixed
will be released this spring. We are wrapping up the last round of
filming and will begin editing on January 23rd and then the final steps
of post-production. In the meanwhile, please feel free to contact us
with any questions or comments. Follow Fixed news by joining our Facebook page and our e-newsletter.

[A few Fixed fans after receiving their Kickstarter rewards in the mail]

A note to our Kickstarter supporters
Posters and t-shirts were sent out last week. Please let us know if you
still need to provide us with your mailing address. Digital downloads
will be sent electronically after the film is completed. DVDs and the
"Professor Xavier Neural Enhancement" package (coffee, mug & DVD)
will be sent approximately 1-2 months after the film is finished as we
complete the special features. The teaching curriculum and companion DVD
will take a few more months to complete after this. Thanks for your
patience and for supporting Fixed! We couldn't make this film without YOU!